Caribou motorist charged with OUI, assaulting officer

PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — A Caribou man was arrested Sunday night after crashing his pickup on Washburn Road and an alleged scuffle with a police officer who accompanied him to the hospital.

After being pulled from the wreckage and receiving treatment for minor injuries at The Aroostook Medical Center in Presque Isle, Matthew Skidgel, 21, was arrested on charges of operating while under the influence of intoxicants and assaulting a police officer, according to a news release issued Monday by the Presque Isle Police Department.

Skidgel was released on bail — set at $750 cash or $5,000 surety and sober release — Monday morning, according to a staff member from the Aroostook County District Attorney’s Office.

The incident that led to Skidgel’s arrest began about 11 p.m. Sunday, when police were called to a single-vehicle accident on Washburn Road, also known as Route 164. Police said Skidgel was driving west in his 1993 Ford pickup truck when he lost control and left the roadway. Witness statements and preliminary investigation work suggested that Skidgel was traveling at an excessive speed, police said.

Presque Isle police Sgt. Mark Barnes said Monday that Skidgel was charged with assault on a police officer after a physical scuffle with an officer attempting to restrain him while at the emergency room.

The incident remains under investigation by members of the Presque Isle Police Department. Officer Pete Johnson is investigating the crash, and Officer Kevin Schumacher is handling the criminal investigation.